Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making [Hardcover]

John Curran (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 23, 2010

A fascinating exploration of the contents of Agatha Christie's seventy-three private notebooks, including illustrations and two unpublished Poirot stories

When Agatha Christie died in 1976, at age eighty-five, she had become the world's most popular author. With sales of more than two billion copies worldwide, in more than one hundred countries, she had achieved the impossible—more than one book every year since the 1920s, every one a bestseller.

So prolific was Agatha Christie's output—sixty-six crime novels, twenty plays, six romance novels under a pseudonym and more than one hundred and fifty short stories—it was often claimed that she had a photographic memory. Was this true? Or did she resort over those fifty-five years to more mundane methods of working out her ingenious crimes?

Following the death of Agatha's daughter, Rosalind, at the end of 2004, a remarkable legacy was revealed. Unearthed among her affairs at the family home of Greenway were Agatha Christie's private notebooks, seventy-three handwritten volumes of notes, lists and drafts outlining all her plans for her many books, plays and stories. Buried in this treasure trove, all in her unmistakable handwriting, are revelations about her famous books that will fascinate anyone who has ever read or watched an Agatha Christie story.

How did the infamous twist in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd really come about? Which very famous Poirot novel started life as an adventure for Miss Marple? Which books were designed to have completely differ-ent endings, and what were they? What were the plot ideas that she considered but rejected?

Full of details she was too modest to reveal in her own autobiography, this remarkable new book includes a wealth of excerpts and pages reproduced directly from the notebooks and her letters, plus, for the first time, two newly discovered complete Hercule Poirot short stories never before published.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Curran, longtime literary adviser to the Agatha Christie estate, painstakingly describes and excerpts the private notebooks of one of the most influential names in detective fiction. Casual or even moderately well-versed fans of Christie may find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer volume of minutiae Curran extracts from the 73 notebooks the author maintained. His effort, however, is admirable: the majority of the notebook entries lack dates and often jump between novels and stories written years apart, and Christie's handwriting is at times akin to shorthand. The most fascinating aspect of the notebooks is the rare glimpse they allow into the mind of a writer, especially one as imaginative as Christie, who, though not a prose stylist, was expert at devising intricate plots. For example, in the notebooks, she poses questions to herself (how should all this be approached? Who is killed? and Someone shot or stalked at school Sports?) while mapping out the novel Cat Among the Pigeons. The inclusion of two rare short stories featuring Hercule Poirot makes this an appealing read for Christie-philes. B&w photos. (Mar. 1)
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Review

“The most fascinating aspect of the notebooks is the rare glimpse they allow into the mind of a writer, especially one as imaginative as Christie....An appealing read for Christie-philes.” (Publishers Weekly )

“A must-have for any ardent fan of Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot.” (Washington Post )

“A must for all Christie fans.” (Newark Star-Ledger )

“Provides a unique look into the mind and working habits of one of the world’s most successful authors.” (Tulsa World )

“Meticulously detailed and scrupulous in its judgments.” (Strand magazine on Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks )

“A meticulously detailed study that is packed with shrewd perceptions about Christie’s fiction....Curran has produced an enthralling miscellany of a book, in which her fans will rummage to their heart’s content.” (Sunday Times (London) )

“Many of Curran’s discoveries will shape how Christie is read in future....This book is fascinating.” (The Independent on Sunday )

“[Curran] has organized his material as efficiently as an Agatha Christie mystery….[His] enthusiasm for his subject carries us along.” (Irish Times )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1 edition (February 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061988367
• ISBN-13: 978-0061988363
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #519,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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